Tuesday, August 25, 2009

According to recent surveys, 79% of parents say that they want to learn more about how to be more involved in their children’s education.

Similar percentages also think their children's teachers could learn more about involving parents in their children's learning. Even the President of the United States says that parents have to be more involved.

At a recent NAACP conference President Obama told his audience, “When it comes to education, we need better standards in our schools, excellent teachers in our classrooms, and parents doing their part to ensure that all our children can succeed, no matter what their race, faith or station in life.”

So everyone wants the parents more involved, but how? As the son of two teachers and now having school-aged children of my own, I think I see this question from both sides and I am pleased to roll out my 3 point method for basic, effective parental involvement.

At the very least, make sure your children get to bed by 10:00pm. That’s lights out, TV off, in bed, and asleep to be more specific. Don’t send your zombie-eyed, sleep-deprived children to school. (And just for the record, feeding them breakfast isn’t a bad idea either).

Ask your child about what is going on in school every single day. Make it your priority to ignore the soap opera aspects of school life and keep asking about the classroom content. “What are you studying? Really? That’s interesting. Why do you think so?”

Have real conversations about the material and pester them until they realize that this conversation is a normal part of their daily life. Really listen to what they have to say and let them teach you a bit. It will help reinforce that day’s material while drilling in the message that the classroom stuff is important. Take advantage of the time in the car on the ride home — have your child put down the DS or iPod and talk to you.

Be on the teacher’s side. Support the teacher in their role, and pay respect to them by giving the benefit of the doubt when differences arise between what they are telling you and what your child is telling you. Yes, you know that your little angel would never do the thing that the teacher claims, but humor the teacher from time to time and keep the lines of communication open.

Although my methods are far from full-proof, follow these simple steps and you’ll be on the road to effective parental involvement before you know it.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Most folks are happily settled into retirement by the time they’re 90, but in 1957 a 90-year-old Edith Hamilton traveled to Greece where she was awarded the Gold Cross of the Legion of Benefaction and made an honorary citizen of Athens. This nod of approval from the people of Greece was in recognition of Hamilton’s impressive body of writing that has since introduced several generations of students to Greek history and mythology.

Long before she became a writer, Edith Hamilton was appointed the first headmistress of the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, MD, in 1896 where she served as both a teacher and an administrator until her retirement in 1922. In those years, Hamilton became an excellent teacher and was able to inspire students with her own enthusiasm for learning. Although she had a knack for education, it was Hamilton’s retirement from teaching that allowed her to pursue her successful career in writing.

After getting to know Hamilton socially through friendly meetings in New York City, Rosamond Gilder, the editor of Theatre Arts Monthly, suggested Hamilton write about Greek tragedies for the magazine. At first Hamilton refused, but was finally persuaded, and the articles she penned for the magazine were compiled into her first book, The Greek Way, which was published in 1930 when Hamilton was 63 years old. From there, Hamilton went on to write eight more books including her celebrated work, Mythology, which is used in classrooms worldwide.

"I came to the Greeks early, and I found answers in them,” Hamilton said in a 1958 interview. “Greece's great men let all their acts turn on the immortality of the soul. We don't really act as if we believe in the soul's immortality and that's why we are where we are today."

Perhaps even more remarkable than her age, is that, unlike other authors who have written on mythology, Hamilton had never set foot in Greece prior to her visit in 1957. Her writings were based entirely on the literature of the classics and the parallels between life in ancient Greece and modern life that she was able to draw from them.

Hamilton’s love of teaching is readily apparent in all of the books she has written, and her ability to convey information in a way that is accessible to readers is unriveled. So today, on her 142nd birthday, we celebrate one of the great contributors to the literary canon. Happy Birthday, Edith!

What famous American author's grandfather was the model for Oliver Wendell Holmes' “The Last Leaf,” a poem about a survivor to the Boston Tea party?

Herman Melville's grandfather, Major Thomas Melvill, was the muse for Holmes’ 1891 poem. Holmes met Herman Melville (along with Nathaniel Hawthorne and various other famous writers) at the famous picnic at Monument Mountain in Lenox, Massachusetts, August 5, 1850, and developed a friendship.

Tattered Tom and Ragged Dick were the heroes in two books written by what nineteenth century American author?

They were both heroes in books written by Horatio Alger. Alger wrote approximately 120 rags-to-riches success stories about hardworking and honest young men between 1883 and 1896.

Who is the cocktail Brandy Alexander named for?

Brandy Alexander, a sweet, brandy-based cocktail popular during the early 20th century was supposedly named for Alexander Woollcott, drama and literary critic and Algonquin Round Table regular. Woollcott's reviews helped to launch several big names into stardom — most notably the Marx Brothers. Woollcott’s review of their Broadway debut, I'll Say She Is, helped the group's career and forged a life-long friendship with Harpo Marx.

What famous English writer, while living in Vermont, created snow golf?

Although the origin of snow golf is the Dutch game of "Kolf" that has been played since the Middle Ages, modern snow golf is credited to Rudyard Kipling. While living in Vermont in the 1890s, Kipling relaxed by playing snow golf when he wasn’t writing his classic work, The Jungle Book. He painted the balls red so that they wouldn't be lost in the snow.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Before the 19th Century, Lear's dark side was often ignored, and the play was turned into a moral fairy tale with a modified ending in whic hteh King and his daughter are reunited and everyone learns a valuable lesson.

Robert Fall’s production, just wrapping up at WashingtonDC’s Shakespeare Theatre, is the complete opposite of the once-popular light-hearted versions. Moved from a timeless, medieval England to a post-Soviet Yugoslavia, this Lear focuses on the horrors caused by the nation’s loss of a clear leader and the power struggle that ensues.

The play opens with an extravagant ball room with a giant portrait of a young Stacy Keach, looking down, Stalin-like, at his birthday party, where he plans on dividing his kingdom among his three daughters. Lest the party’s atmosphere seem too serene, a DJ spins records and party goers fire automatic rifles into the air.

Throughout the play, the scenery deteriorates from this bright party to a battlefield with wrecked cars and trash strewn about the stage, mirroring the destruction of the kingdom as sister fights sister and brother fights brother. Murder and torture are brought to the forefront as we see Gloucester’s eyes ripped from his head and see Reagan strangle her sister Goneril on stage and take a gun to herself instead of their traditional offstage murder-suicide.

Obviously, this isn’t a Lear for the weak-hearted, but if you’ve ever wondered what Shakespeare would be like for the Soprano’s generation, this is a production for you. Even if it’s not the way that you’d produce the play, it’s always exciting to see a play that takes this many risks.

While I wouldn’t say this is a particularly student-safe version (on top of the violence, Lear, Cordellia, and Poor Tom all show full-frontal nudity), productions like this one always bring up interesting teaching opportunities. I’ve always been a fan of teaching Shakespeare through performance (see Dr. Cohen’s ShakesFear), and a production like this can be used to help your students see the relevance of a 400 year old play and help them imagine something more than “dudes in tights” as they do their own readings.

PS – At the end of this month and beginning of next month, The Shakespeare Theatre will be offering a free production of The Taming of the Shrew. I had a subscription to the classical plays this year, and I’d heartily recommend going to a performance if you’re in the DC area.

What Shakespearean character was based on a London doctor who served as Queen Elizabeth I's chief physician — until he was arrested and hanged for conspiring to kill her?Shylock, the money-lender in The Merchant of Venice. The Doctor's name was Roderigo Lopez.